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As far as movie franchises go, Sylvester Stallone’sRockyis widely considered one of the greatest sports series in Hollywood. Over 6 films spanning from 1976 to 2006, The Italian Stallion’s intense tale of underdog glory inspired audiences worldwide.
Being the creative brain behind the story, theRockyseries was Stallone’s baby that grew and blossomed over the years. Despite the fact that choosing between one’s children is probably one of the most impossible tasks that any parent can have, the action star still managed to rate the films from best to worst.
Also Read:Other Than Bloodsport, 2 Other Movies Make Jean-Claude Van Damme’s Top 3 Favorite Fight Scenes – Did Sylvester Stallone’s Expendables 2 Make it to His List?
Which Is Sylvester Stallone’s Least PreferredRockyFilm?
Sylvester Stallone’s superstardom in Hollywood can be mainly attributed to his iconicRockyfilms that cemented his place as one of the greatest action stars of his generation. The first film which was an inspirational underdog saga, became a cultural phenomenon that expanded further into 4 sequels spanning 15 years.
With Stallone invested in the series not just as an actor, but as the creator of the story and script, it goes without saying thatRockybecame a family member to him.The Expendablesstar though, was still able to isolate himself from his emotions and critically observe the pros and cons of each film. In an appearance onFriday Night with Jonathan Ross(viaYouTube), Stallone rated the films and revealed his least preferred one.
” Five? Oh, Zero. It was that bad. It was goose egg. I was definitely not there.”
TheCliffhangeractor stated that the failure ofRocky 5ignited his desire to do another film as he did not want to end the franchise with the thought that he had made a bad film. Years later, Stallone’s wish was fulfilled when he went on to doRocky Balboa.
Also Read:Sylvester Stallone Started Acting Even Before Zoe Saldana Was Born – She Holds A Record Even Sly’s 53 Year Career Couldn’t
The Boxer Who Inspired Sylvester Stallone’sRocky
Sylvester Stallone’siconic character Rocky, is still considered a cult figure despite being a fictional character. Stallone, who wrote the script for the first film, was inspired by real-life events that led to the creation of the evergreen hero. While audiences are aware that the star used boxing legend Muhammed Ali’s fight as the foundation, it was Ali’s opponent Chuck Wepner’s tenacity that planted the seed for the story.
Wepner, who was no match for the great Ali, was getting hammered in the fight, but never gave up and even had moments of brilliance in which he challenged the legend, which led to him unbelievably rendering Ali a knockout blow. This never-say-die attitude gave Stallone his eureka moment to flesh out his character. Speaking toGQ, he said,
“From nowhere, Wepner knocked down the immortal Ali. It was like a bolt of lightning from some Greek god in the sky, and, almost instantly, Wepner became the crowd favorite — in a matter of seconds. Suddenly, he went from being a complete joke to being somebody whom everybody watching could identify with—because everybody’s thinking, ‘Yes, I’d like to do that!’”
Chuck Wepner’s tenacity became the inspirational underdog fairytale that Sylvester Stallone was looking for. The rest, as they say, is history, withRockybecoming one of the greatest sports dramas of all time.
Also Read:“He’s a human being, he’s got a heart”: Martin Scorsese Almost Never Made His Iconic Robert De Niro Movie That Knocked Out Sylvester Stallone Years Later
Sharanya Sankar
Senior Writer
Articles Published :1230
Sharanya Sankar, Writer for FandomwireHaving completed her Masters degree in Journalism and Mass Communication, Sharanya has a solid foundation in writing which is also one of her passions. She has worked previously with Book My show for a couple of years where she gained experience reviewing films and writing feature articles. Sharanya’s articles on film and pop culture have also been published on Film Companion, a popular film-based website. Apart from movies and pop culture, her interests include music and sports. She has contributed over 650 articles to Fandomwire so far.
